


ace of hearts (and baseball)

by ikonisch (discordinparadise)



Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alternate Universe - High School, Asexuality, Falling In Love, Insecurity, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Mention of polygamy, Metaphors, Misunderstandings, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, but not really, hanbin's proper incredible, jinhwan likes chanwoo so much, jinhwan's pov, yunbob are stupid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-12 00:16:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19936882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/discordinparadise/pseuds/ikonisch
Summary: "Why didn't you ever think about being an artist?"Chanwoo's eyebrows creased. "Where'd that come from?""You really do think of people - or at least me - as art. And you're so good at analysing it. Or, you love it.""I'm no artist. You're just beautiful, and you're mine. Admiring you and all the things you do is the best part of this," Chanwoo said softly, and Jinhwan felt another ache in his chest. Not heartache. A soft ache, the kind you get from eating one too many sweets.- five times that Jinhwan's able to let Chanwoo know just how much he adores him, and one time that Chanwoo steers the wheel.





	ace of hearts (and baseball)

**i**

Jinhwan, in all his determined, kind of egotistical glory, was pretty sure that it was time to give up.

He had tried so much, almost _too_ much. He had tried the classic 'drop something in front of them and be sexy picking it up' but Chanwoo had only looked at him for a second, smiling a little warily. He had tried sitting next to him and pressing up to him every chance he got but once again, all Chanwoo had done was smile at him. He had tried eye contact and compliments, and he was pretty sure that Chanwoo's smile now meant 'I want a restraining order'.

Jinhwan knew he was pretty, if winning the 'Prettiest Person' award for two years straight (as well as being the first guy to win it, yes Jinhwan was leaving this kinda legacy) at school meant anything, but sometimes Chanwoo just made him feel...damn ugly.

But Jinhwan didn't want to give up.

He didn't want to give up on the guy who could look so pretty, skin like a snowflake and big eyes that couldn't be compared. He didn't want to give up on the guy who was cuter than any animal, nicer than any person. He didn't want to give up on the guy who read out a poem he wrote one year ago about thinking he'd never find love.

 _You can find love,_ Jinhwan thought helplessly, _with me..._

Then there was a time where Jinhwan hadn't even been trying, but it was still so devastating. And cliché. And horrible. Walking away from his locker, slipping on a piece of paper that had fallen out and he yelled as he stumbled forward so comically that he just _knew_ the gods were laughing at him - and into someone's chest. He froze as arms went around him, caging him in to stop them both from falling and Jinhwan couldn't dare look up. He just stood there, staring at the guy's shirt until a sweet voice said, "You good?"

 _Shit, shit, SHIT, no I'm fucking NOT_ _—_

"Yes!" Jinhwan said quickly, looking up on instinct now. God, Chanwoo looked like pure sunshine smiling down at him like that. Jinhwan held back a sigh. "Were you- um, here the whole time?"

"Yeah, my locker's pretty near to yours. Don't you know that?"

"Of course I do! J-Just didn't see you..."

"You gotta be careful here, there's pointy edges everywhere in schools."

"True, true, thank you."

Chanwoo nodded, small dimples peeking out and Jinhwan wanted to poke them. He was wearing kind of heeled boots today, so it wasn't difficult to reach up and loop his arms around Chanwoo's neck. Because, confidence. Confidence was _key_. The younger blinked, surprised but he didn't seem to mind it. "You tryna dance with me?"

"It's called affection," Jinhwan teased and Chanwoo snorted at that, a hand slipping to the small of Jinhwan's back. Seriously. The guy _had_ to know by now. Maybe he was playing hard to get? That was kinda hot, though Chanwoo didn't seem like that type but Jinhwan couldn't fully judge. But here Chanwoo was in the most couply kind of hold with him, looking angelic and content that Jinhwan couldn't help think that maybe, maybe he could kiss him, if he went near enough, because there was no way the guy didn't know how he fel—

"Chan! Just talked to a girl in class, she's literally fallen in _love_ with you from your baseball performance," a guy laughed as he went past them and Chanwoo looked at him, grinning as he gently moved Jinhwan to the side and went towards the other, walking with him.

"Oh yeah? Bet it's my procured swing that did it."

"You mean your _muscles_ when you swing, dude!"

"Oh shut up, don't say that..."

And Jinhwan was left feeling either like he'd been drained dry, or he'd been punched in the gut.

"I know it's far too late to have this realisation but I think he's just not into guys," Jinhwan mumbled four hours later, lying back against the grass. Jiwon was wolfing down his food but he paused then to give Jinhwan a look.

"Dunno if he's into girls, though. Haven't seen any sign." 

"Eh, there are some...well, at the least, he's not into _me_ and there's been more than enough signs for that. The guy hates me, doesn't he? He thinks I'm a weirdo, he thinks I'm trying to _molest_ him-"

"Hyung, stop, please, I'm eating. Honestly, I think he's crazy. You'd have _me_ falling for you in seconds if you turned on as much charm with me as you do for him, so it's not anything about you. It's him."

"That's oddly sweet. And yeah, I guess you'd be a good back-up boyfriend," Jinhwan said with a grin, moving to sit beside Jiwon and ruffle his hair. Jiwon just snarled at him a little before going back to his food.

It was then that fate hit Jinhwan, wanting to make him sad all over again since his eyes managed to catch onto Chanwoo and Yunhyeong walking into the courtyard, milkshakes in hand as they laughed over something. Jinhwan knew they were going to come over even just for Yunhyeong to be disgusted by Jiwon's eating habits, but Jinhwan wasn't ready.

"Can I hide behind you?"

"Sure," Jiwon shrugged, though he was blinking confusedly when Jinhwan was suddenly replaced by Yunhyeong cuddling into him. "Song, what- where did you- why can't you people let me _eat-_ "

Though Jiwon was mysteriously appeased when Yunhyeong held up his milkshake and let the guy drink from it, leaving Jiwon murmuring a quiet, "I love you." Yunhyeong snickered.

Jinhwan was in fact crouching behind Jiwon to hide himself and it was going pretty well, thank God for his small stature (for once). Or maybe, he thought it was going better than it actually _was_ , because someone happened to walk behind the other two and Jinhwan froze when he felt a shadow fall over him. Curse fate. Curse tall people. Curse the sun for casting shadows. Curse _everything_.

"Is that comfortable?" Chanwoo asked gently and Jinhwan wanted to die.

"Yes. Very!"

"Okay."

Jinhwan couldn't foresee a near future where this didn't turn out embarrassing for them both, because when did Jinhwan know how _not_ to humiliate himself in front of Chanwoo? He looked down at the grass, thinking that this was so stupid. This wasn't fair anymore. This was Chanwoo's fault, not Jinhwan's after he'd tried so hard and he wanted to _scream_ , he wanted to throw a tantrum and dead Lord, that was exactly what he was going to do if Chanwoo didn't leave in the next second.

Jiwon seemed to have sensed his explosive energy since he turned his head a little, saying a worried, "Hyung?" but Jinhwan was already standing up, making Chanwoo blink in surprise. He seemed even more wide-eyed than usual when he saw Jinhwan's glare.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Yes. You're annoying," Jinhwan said bluntly, poking Chanwoo in the chest and Chanwoo looked so perplexed. Now they had an audience as the other two turned to look at them in concern. "You're _so_ annoying. And weird. Jiwon would back me up for this, anyone would want me!"

Even though he was put on the spot, Jiwon did nod.

"Yet you have to be the one person who doesn't that I end up falling for. I know you're not stupid, and I know I haven't been subtle because I'm kind of disgustingly desperate sometimes, I know, but it's all out of good intent, it's from my _heart_ , you know, the love organ, and so the only explanation is that you're the only person in this entire fucking school who doesn't think I'm hot."

"I think you're beautiful," Chanwoo said out of absolute nowhere and Jinhwan was pretty sure that those words didn't correlate with anything he had just yelled in the poor guy's face.

"You what?"

"What do you mean by desperate?"

"W-What, like- all the times I've come up to you?"

"All the lame pick-up lines," Jiwon said amusedly.

"Getting really close to you when we hang out," Yunhyeong joined in, and Jiwon and him high-fived badly. Jinhwan looked at them with furrowed eyebrows, saying in offence, "Yeah, yeah, alright, be triumphant over my misery-"

"Wait, that was you trying to get my attention?" Chanwoo asked with wide eyes and Jinhwan had an urge to hit him then wrap him up like a burrito in every fluffy blanket ever made. "I thought that was all because we're like...I thought you were being funny. Or friendly."

The sound of Jiwon face-palming rang through the air.

"Chanwoo, I'm gonna hit you," Jinhwan said and he wasn't actually joking, even though he'd much rather do it with his lips. Chanwoo still looked amazed.

"You have a crush on me."

"Yeah, I do, and you've been breaking my heart for months."

"Hyung, I've never had someone crush on me before," Chanwoo said, reaching out to take hold of Jinhwan's hand and Jinhwan held on for his fucking life, just in case this was a hyper-realistic dream and he'd just have to take what he could get. "The only way I'd know anything is if someone actually says 'I like you' or I'll never think different."

In a way, Jinhwan could understand that. Maybe Chanwoo really was a kid who didn't see anything. Jinhwan was going back to his burrito idea.

"Then," Jinhwan said, licking his dry lips just to feel more present, "I like you."

Chanwoo smiled, and it was the most genuine smile out of all the ones Jinhwan had ever seen targeted at him.

"Now I know."

**ii**

Jinhwan was watching it. The seminar on love one year ago that Yunhyeong recorded because he was so proud of his baby, his words not Jinhwan's even though Chanwoo was definitely Jinhwan's baby now too but in the kind of way where Jinhwan could never exactly tell him that.

It started with Yunhyeong trying to focus the camera, with him and Jiwon bickering like the teen married couple they were. Jinhwan laughed under his breath when the camera suddenly zoomed in on Chanwoo, and Yunhyeong let out a little squeak of surprise that malformed into happiness before Jiwon slapped him to get him to shut up.

" _Knowing,_ " Chanwoo read the title of the poem, and there were only five, ten people since seminars were small, but every single one of them were still silent. Chanwoo looked so young like he still was, so sweet, soft brown hair and a serene, sad smile on his lips that Jinhwan hadn't noticed was sad the first time he had watched this, in real life.

_"I know things about myself that other people don't._

_That sounds obvious, but it's something I want to tell everyone but I feel like I can't._

_The truth is, I'm stuck._

_Drowning in quicksand but it's not letting me go completely under, even when sometimes I want to._

_There are people who thrive in love, who hurt in love, who fall in love, but I'm outside watching through the glass. Never in love._

_And no-one can see me._

_If I try to speak, I suddenly can't make a sound, because it's holding me back._

_No-one will want me, if they knew. So I can't let anyone have me._

_Broken toys wind up discarded, right?_

_I know things about myself that other people don't,_

_Because if they knew,_

_I'd finish drowning."_

Jinhwan remembered that he had said sporadically to Chanwoo when he came back to sit down, "Broken toys can be fixed."

Once again, Chanwoo smiled at him, but it wasn't a good smile. Jinhwan didn't figure out instantly that it felt different, but then Chanwoo said something that made it blatant.

"I think that's the most inconsiderate thing anyone's ever said to me."

Jinhwan's eyes had grown massive as he quickly shook his head and basically his whole body, almost about to stand up as he stuttered out, "W-Wait, I- I SWEAR THAT'S NOT WHAT I-"

But Chanwoo was already turned away, focusing on what the teacher was saying, and Jinhwan wanted to burst into tears.

He'd never got to tell Chanwoo how sorry he was. He knew what it was like even with a different context, with people telling him that his sexual orientation could be 'fixed'. He used to hate being gay not because it was liking boys but because of all the baggage that came with it, but now? He loved being gay and just hated everyone else that caused that baggage. He'd just said it offhand, thinking stupidly that it was maybe a nice sentiment...but not everything needed to be fixed.

"So as you can see, poems don't have to have a rhyme scheme or include the traditional techniques. As long as they're drawn from the heart, they can be something beautiful and speak volumes," the professor said, and Jinhwan silently agreed as the video came to an end. It wasn't long before his phone buzzed, and he saw a text from Yunhyeong.

_\- get ready to party hyungieeeeee_

_its literally like...a ball -_

_\- what it's not a BALL cinderella_  
_\- it's just a dance!_

_yeah, the queen of hearts dance which when I looked on wikipedia is literally an alternative for Snow BALL or Christmas BALL -_

_\- oh my god hyung ugh just tell me you're getting ready_

_???? song im not going?? -_

_\- wait_  
_\- WHAT???!!!_

_dude why would i express my disinterest this much if i was going?! -_

_\- YOU'RE NOT GOING?! !!!!_

_yeah i think i just said that -_

_\- this is chanwoo_

Jinhwan actually dropped his phone onto his face. Before quickly scrambling up, grabbing onto his phone once more to stare at the godforsaken screen.

_you're going? -_

_\- well yeah_

_do you have a date? -_  
_oh my god oh my GOD -_

 _\- hyung calm down I don't have a date_  
_\- I was planning to ask you to dance though..._

Just like that, Jinhwan was the biggest idiot in the world.

 _ok_ _maybe i can still come -_

_\- no forget it_

_CHANWOO DONT DO THIS -_

_\- no no I mean it I'm fine with it! see you later hyung_ 💕

It did make Jinhwan sigh to get hearts, but now he felt a little sick to his stomach. He wanted to cry, just because he was in that sort of mood after the poem and after a whole cake and he was truly believing that he was failing at life. He had no clue that a _dance_ was Chanwoo's scene. He had no clue that he maybe should've asked the guy to go with him. Jinhwan thought Chanwoo was clueless but he might be even worse...so he just lay there, feeling sorry for himself because there was nothing else he could do.

He didn't even have a suit.

What gay guy didn't have a suit?!

He was truly considering going out just to buy another cake to binge on, but then there was a knock on the door. He _begged_ it was the delivery guy even though he wasn't supposed to come until seven, but a boy could dream.

He got up with a sigh, mentally brushing the crumbs off him before walking through the mess of his apartment. He had only bought it a few months ago and he was still finding his feet. Being eighteen and wanting to be independent was hard, and he hadn't really figured out his lock either so it took him a while to even just open the damn door. "Christ's sake."

"Hey, hyung," an angel said, because cake-full pajama-clad Jinhwan was obviously in heaven. Except it wasn't an angel, and it was just pretty Jung Chanwoo in a pristine suit, a rose being twizzled shyly between his fingers, and this was still sadly earth. "It's...me. Well, it's Chanwoo. Which is me."

"I know," Jinhwan said quietly, staring up at him in awe. Chanwoo nodded, about to open his mouth again before he was being tugged in by his tie, the door was slammed close behind him, and Jinhwan was standing remarkably close. Still staring. "You know this is my apartment."

Chanwoo nodded again, swallowing a little. "I know that, yes."

"You've never been here."

"Yes."

"How are you here?"

"Yunhyeong-hyung..."

"He approves of this?"

"He had the idea, hyung."

"Oh my God- why didn't you tell me earlier, this- this place is _so messy-_ "

"You're messy too," Chanwoo said amusedly and Jinhwan would've hit him if he wasn't busy rushing around pushing things out of the way and into any sort of drawer or cupboard. "Did I interrupt some quality alone time?"

 _Not looking like that you didn't_. "No, no, I kinda ate like...some cake, that explains these stains but it's not like I didn't change out of my clothes from the morning like that's just absurd-"

"Hyung, don't worry about the apartment, I came for _you_. Even a messy cake-eater you," Chanwoo said so sweetly and oh _gosh_ , Jinhwan wanted to just melt into the couch he was brushing off but he was in rage-cleaning mode and nothing could stop him, nothing at all.

"I know! But just- just let me get changed and you like make yourself at home or whatever, just-"

But arms were wrapping around him and pulling him back onto the couch, squeezing him tight. "No, you're _great_ like this."

And, oh no, now Jinhwan was panicking because no, did Chanwoo _not_ know of that monumental thing of _anyone_ wanting to look good for their crush and not like they'd been dead and self-indulgent all day? Yet the instant he tried to tell Chanwoo that, the boy had the fucking audacity to nuzzle into his neck to stop him. And, there we go, Jinhwan was already falling in love.

"Chanwoo," Jinhwan sighed, leaning into him in a way of finally caving, and Chanwoo seemed happy by the way he squeezed Jinhwan only to let him go which was a bit disheartening. So he only got cuddly Chanwoo when the boy was trying to stop him from being beautiful? Fun. "Why are you here?"

"To keep you company. And tell you that you're cute in your pyjamas so stop looking miserable," Chanwoo said, clearly teasing but when Jinhwan finally looked at him, Chanwoo had an adoring sort of look in his eyes. These were the kinds of things that Jinhwan wasn't used to yet, like Chanwoo holding his hand, or switching seats to be near him, or giving him...attention. Jinhwan used to want that attention but now he had it, he didn't know what to do.

"Am I really cute?"

"You're really cute."

"Hm. Okay," Jinhwan said a little mock-snidely, pulling his blanket over him again except Chanwoo was quick enough to dive in under too. He was like a puppy, honestly. "Chan, get your head out."

"W-Wait," Chanwoo stammered, thrashing every which way before finally resurfacing, sending Jinhwan a sheepish grin. "It was- it was knotted."

Jinhwan just smiled a little, humming an, "Okay," as he reached for the remote. Chanwoo's chin rested gently on his shoulder just as he turned on the tv, and Jinhwan kissed his nose. Chanwoo hiding his face in his neck was deplorably cute but Jinhwan was focusing on choosing a channel now.

"Hey, I never really got to ask whether you actually want me here or not," Chanwoo mumbled as Jinhwan settled on a romance sitcom from a few years back. Jinhwan found it funny that they were already cuddled up and Chanwoo had only just thought to ask this.

"Don't think my answer matters much anymore, my love."

"But it'd be yes, right? Right?"

"Right," Jinhwan sighed, smiling softly when Chanwoo's hair tickled his cheek. "Now stop being cute. You're a gorgeous seventeen year old in a suit yet it's a complete waste."

"Nah. You'll ogle me later," Chanwoo teased, and Jinhwan tried to hit his knee but it came out as more of a tap. It was then that Chanwoo reached an arm out of the blanket just to hold the rose out to Jinhwan. Jinhwan looked at it, then back at Chanwoo.

"Did you really have that ready for me?"

"Yeah. But it's just a rose. Nothing big," Chanwoo murmured, dropping his gaze before starting in surprise when Jinhwan gently tilted his head back up, staring right into his eyes.

"You would've been the sweetest date. I'm sorry."

"It's okay! It's not like we were even dates-"

"I promise I'll go to prom," Jinhwan blurted out, and Chanwoo blinked at him. "Not - not that that was a 'promposal' or whatever. Just a promise."

"A prom-ise," Chanwoo said mindlessly before grimacing like he hated himself, even if it made Jinhwan cackle his head off. "Don't laugh, don't validate that."

"Shh. Let's watch this. Since, I'm not really in the right state of mind to plan anything nice right now."

Chanwoo nodded, turning his head as Jinhwan took the rose and rested it carefully on the coffee table in front of them. If he was creepy, he could maybe press it with an iron later on and keep it in a photo frame...

"Gross," he heard Chanwoo mutter when two people kissed on screen and Jinhwan gave him a side-eye, smiling.

"You kid."

"It's usually okay but like look at them, they're eating each other's _faces_ off. Why can't every on-screen kiss just be a peck? God, I'd watch a mukbang if I wanted to see this kinda thing..."

Chanwoo was the only person who could be a mix of awfully cute and funny, and it was an odd sort of jackpot but Jinhwan was hella glad he had won it.

"So you don't wanna eat someone's face off like that, hm?" Jinhwan teased, patting Chanwoo's stomach. "Bet you're one of those people who find it gross 'til you do it yourself."

"I'm asexual so I don't think so."

Jinhwan blinked, and slowly turned to look at Chanwoo. The younger was looking down, fiddling with the blanket and suddenly stiff in a way that he didn't seem to want to show that he was stiff. And Jinhwan leant closer, ignoring any of his own feelings as his arm reached out to turn down the volume on the tv.

"Did you just come out to me, bub?"

"It's not coming out," Chanwoo mumbled, still looking down. "It's just another thing about me. I'm sixteen. I'm a cat person but I like dogs too. I'm ace. I'm Korean. I wanna be an actor."

"Ace of the baseball team is ace," Jinhwan said softly, trying to keep it light but it seemed like they'd moved out of that territory as Chanwoo's head dropped to his shoulder. Jinhwan curled an arm around his waist, stroking his side. "Okay. Hey, you know I could always cover your eyes during the kissing scenes."

"Like I really am a kid," Chanwoo snorted, voice muffled and Jinhwan smiled. For a while, he did start watching the drama again, even if the sound was really quiet now which made it all the more ominous but the subtitles helped. It was a little strange, since Chanwoo clearly wasn't watching now but it wasn't like he'd seemed interested before.

"Jinhwan-hyung, do you have any water?"

"Coming right up."

He felt colder when he slipped away from Chanwoo and into the kitchen, pouring a glass of water and some wine for himself, just a bit. He just felt a little dizzy. And when he came back to the living room, he found Chanwoo sitting up more now, eyes closed, resting his head against the back of the sofa as the blanket slowly rolled off him, revealing his suit jacket that was half coming off and a ruffled collar. Jinhwan rested the two glasses on the coffee table and sat down, gently reaching out to undo Chanwoo's tie. Chanwoo's eyes blinked open as they peered at Jinhwan who slipped off the tie, and pushed Chanwoo's suit jacket down next. Chanwoo helped a little, shrugging it off, and Jinhwan folded it over his arm before leaning back against the sofa himself. Just looking. Chanwoo was looking back at him, his big mahogany eyes wary and soft.

"You know that I like you so much, right?" Jinhwan hummed, not quite saying the word 'still' because he was worried about it being insensitive. Maybe. Chanwoo's eyes were getting warmer, though. "'Cause I need you to know that. Like, I need you to _really_ know that. You don't know how much turmoil I must've gone through just because of that fact, because it's massive, even for me. I've never liked someone this much and I'm not gonna stop."

"Okay," Chanwoo said, his voice so incredibly quiet and almost cracking, and Jinhwan was delicate as he leant forward to kiss his forehead. "Jinhwan?"

"Yeah?"

"I like you too. I haven't said that yet."

"And you don't need to-"

"I think I'm a colossal idiot if I don't."

Jinhwan grinned, warmth in his heart as he turned to face the tv again. Chanwoo was the one who sidled up closer, so their sides met, and the heart fluttering wasn't gone. Jinhwan wasn't sure it would ever leave.

**iii**

It was late at night when Jinhwan was sending off his giggly drunk friends, a little jealous of them through parenting them but he was the designated driver after all. Yunhyeong and Jiwon were all over each other which was a weird sight to see because maybe they were touchy but not _PDA_ touchy...the kind of touchy where it was either slapping each other or being too enthralled by something else to notice that they were touching each other at all. But here the two were, with Jiwon in Yunhyeong's lap and giving him sweet hiccuppy kisses all over his face. Yunhyeong looked happy and dazed, and it was the first time that you would properly understand that the two were a couple without looking for the small things.

Chanwoo was beside him in the passenger's seat. You'd think him completely sober if it weren't for the telltale hiccups he made every while or so. Jinhwan was pretty sure that the boy had had just one drink, because that already seemed to have dizzied Chanwoo up. Jinhwan had been against it, what with him not quite being legal, until Jiwon hit him with the, 'You've been drinking wine since you were sixteen' speech and Jinhwan was powerless.

"You okay?" Jinhwan asked quietly when they pulled up at a red light, clearly ignoring the other two's loudness. Him and Chanwoo shared a smile as the younger nodded.

"I think so. That drink was- _hic_!- f-fruity...the juice of alcohol."

Chanwoo was honest to God Jinhwan's baby. No-one could ever say otherwise. Ever.

"Did you like the juice of alcohol?"

"I did like the juice of alcohol. But I felt weird after..."

"Do you feel weird now?"

"Not as much."

Jinhwan wanted to reach out for his hand, but he was met with the task of bundling Dumb and Dumber out of the car, and if the least drunk of the two was already diabolically unhelpful then it was going to be an incredible feat. It was kind of sweet to see Yunhyeong haul Jiwon up into a messy bridal style in the end, kissing his nose and Jiwon gave him the goofiest, warmest smile ever. Jinhwan wished that could be him and Chanwoo, except that boy was tall as fuck and Jinhwan wouldn't be doing anything but struggling.

Jinhwan's apartment was in the same complex but he still needed to drop Chanwoo off at his house. But he didn't quite get to starting the car up again.

"Hyung?" Chanwoo asked curiously. Jinhwan looked at him, quiet for a moment before asking a wistful, "Stay?"

Chanwoo grinned at him. "You're the one calling my parents."

Turned out neither of his parents were awake or something like that so Jinhwan sent his mother a voicemail while Chanwoo was in the bathroom brushing his teeth. Jinhwan once had a spare toothbrush but it wasn't like he'd give it to anyone else now, especially with how many times Chanwoo had used it. And when Chanwoo left the room, Jinhwan was ready for him with a smile and a glass of water. "Drink up. Don't want you randomly giggling in your sleep."

It had been a while now. A while of seeing all of Chanwoo's different expressions, getting to know more of his little quirks and finding out things that surprised him. Like when Chanwoo suddenly talked about an ex-boyfriend when Jinhwan had been so certain he had been forever single, but Chanwoo only said that they didn't last long. Jinhwan didn't understand if there was any subtext behind that yet but he felt a little scared to ask.

"I'll be there in a second. Make yourself comfortable."

"You know I will."

Him and Chanwoo weren't even dating yet. Something, but not dating. Sometimes it seemed like a big something when Chanwoo would gently hug him from behind, nuzzling his ear. Sometimes it would seem like a small something when they were just sitting next to each other, wondering if they should hold hands or not. So Jinhwan stood there watching the water running for longer than he should have, thinking that he was a little bit ridiculously lucky to be able to have a something.

He tried to be quiet when he finally slipped into his bed, but the giant under the blankets was already stirring and turning towards him, smiling sleepily. Jinhwan cradled his cheek, looking at his sweet face in the dark. "Hey."

Chanwoo's mouth seemed to open but he spoke more breath than voice and Jinhwan inched closer to him, tapping his nose while Chanwoo closed his eyes. His hair was falling into them by now, and it was pretty much Jinhwan's job to brush it away. Maybe he really should cut it while the boy was asleep.

"Can I ask you something?" they both asked in stilted unison, and Jinhwan blinked while Chanwoo's eyes snapped open. Jinhwan curled an arm around his torso, looking up at him.

"Ah...you go first."

"Okay. I was wondering if we could catch a movie soon."

"Mm? What kind?"

"Anything that's out, I guess."

"I really wanna watch the new Mulan movie," Jinhwan chirped happily, resting his head on Chanwoo's chest and feeling warm when the younger dropped a kiss into his hair. "But, you get to choose too."

"Mulan sounds great."

"Yeah but there's no Mushu..."

"Hm?"

"Nothing."

"You go now," Chanwoo mumbled, quietly insecure once more. "Bet it's better than me asking you on a measly movie date."

"Our first date."

He felt Chanwoo smile, just a little. "Is it? I didn't quite know."

"You totally knew, shut up. You wanted to be cool and suave about it."

"M-Maybe but now I'm wondering if it's not good enough..."

"We've got so far already, Chan," Jinhwan murmured, reaching out to rest his hand over Chanwoo's. "A date wouldn't mean anything life-changing. And if it does, it'll be just to make me fall for you more-"

"Shh, don't be a cheese," Chanwoo whined softly, squishing Jinhwan's face like a cute variation of a slap, and Jinhwan wanted to throw all masculinity out of the window and giggle for hours. Not that men couldn't giggle because Jiwon would always prove him wrong. "Ask me your thing."

Jinhwan nodded, but he didn't speak straight away. He ran his fingers across Chanwoo's clothed torso, lullaby-gently, and he could feel Chanwoo's face fall further into his hair. Slowly getting more tired. Then Jinhwan finally asked it, when Chanwoo was in his purest state of mind.

"What's it like?"

He knew Chanwoo would know what he meant. The way he held onto Jinhwan tighter proved it. 

"Like the world's an art gallery."

"What?"

"You know art," Chanwoo said, shifting a little so he was bending an arm behind his head, and looking out at nothing really. Space. Jinhwan kept his eyes on him, though, on his dancing irises that he could just barely see. "Art, something that's made from, I don't know, _creative_ and _beautiful_ essence to be seen and admired. Art can be gorgeous, or sometimes it takes a while to see the beauty it's meant to show. But you don't get _attracted_ to art, for the most part."

"So people's...appearances...are art?"

"To me. Some are just the type you admire from afar, some pull you in. And hyung."

Jinhwan's eyes grew a little wide when Chanwoo was suddenly tugging at his hand, pulling him to the side until he ended up falling on top of Chanwoo. The boy looked at him with the warmest eyes, his hand running through the elder's hair. "You were offended about me not thinking you're hot and I'm sorry. But, if this could _dare_ to compensate...I think you're the most beautiful piece of art I've ever seen."

"I guess that makes it okay," Jinhwan said, terribly fighting back a massive smile as his hands clenched Chanwoo's shirt. Chanwoo smiled up at him, deliriously fond. "And that was a really pretty way to put it."

"That's what I think. Just me. Don't think it means that full stop."

"I know but that's what I wanted, what it's like for _you_. I wanna understand every single thing about you that I can."

"Yeah, well, I wanna understand my art too," Chanwoo hummed shyly, and Jinhwan couldn't not kiss his cheek. "Besides. I'm still sorry."

"Why?"

"You might be like...the sexiest teen ever."

Jinhwan raised an eyebrow. "And who told you that?"

"You. And Jiwon-hyung would vouch for it," Chanwoo shrugged, and Jinhwan could envision Jiwon nonchalantly nodding in the corner of his mind. Then Chanwoo was biting his lip, fiddling with the hem of Jinhwan's shirt. "Don't you think you're...wasted? On me?"

"Hey," Jinhwan said without a beat of hesitation, tapping Chanwoo's chest. "You get all of me by default. In any relationship, people choose what they end up taking."

"I want to take all of you," Chanwoo whispered, quietly, and Jinhwan smiled at him.

"But you don't have to. I'm falling so hard for you, Chanwoo. Don't be so scared."

"You're so...nice..."

Jinhwan leant down, pressing his hands against Chanwoo's soft sleepy face and he whispered, "Just to you."

"Hey, hyung." Chanwoo's words were mere breaths now.

"Yeah?"

Chanwoo leant up, delicately lacing an arm around Jinhwan's neck before kissing him. Their lips, pressed against each other so lightly, a softness Jinhwan had never felt as his eyes grew wide in a way he couldn't help, and his grip on Chanwoo grew slack.

"W-Woah," Jinhwan breathed out in amazement the instant Chanwoo carefully pulled back, looking up at Jinhwan warily. "Can you- can you do that?!"

"It's not like I physically can't," Chanwoo confirmed teasingly, before he coughed and came out of it more nervous. "And I - I wanted to. I did. That was okay. That was...I liked that."

Jinhwan gently pecked Chanwoo's lips once more. "That's good."

Chanwoo's adorable sleep-soft smile was back. "I liked that too."

"Night, my love."

Chanwoo hummed, and Jinhwan rolled off of him, tucking back into his side. It was a little heart-racing when Chanwoo lifted his hand, kissing his limp fingers.

"Good night."

**iv**

"Get your ass up," Jiwon growled as he broke into Jinhwan's apartment at six pm and Jinhwan in once again pyjama-clad glory stared at him. "We're going to a gay bar."

Apparently, Yunhyeong and Jiwon had broken up.

"To be fair, I was never sure if you guys were dating," Chanwoo shrugged when Jinhwan called him over to join them, and Jinhwan slapped his arm.

"Don't say tha-"

"No. It's cool. It's true, after all," Jiwon said blankly, pulling his jacket back on. "I was never sure if he was dating me either."

Jinhwan and Chanwoo looked at each other uneasily.

It was having the knowledge that Yunhyeong and Jiwon had known each other for _so long_ that was disconcerting. Jinhwan had seen how they'd evolved, how they were just always a duo that he didn't really think about being apart. They just...were.

"What happened?"

"He doesn't want me anymore."

"What?!"

"I said what I said," Jiwon snarled and because he could get kind of scary when he was so rarely angry, Jinhwan and Chanwoo followed him out of the door without another word.

Jiwon immediately took shotgun without asking, punching an address into his phone's GPS. Jinhwan took his seat in the driver's, rolling down the window so he could reach out for one of Chanwoo's hands apologetically. Chanwoo just beamed at him.

"I'm a kid, I don't need shotgun."

"Yeah, my baby," Jinhwan hummed, kissing Chanwoo's hand and delighting in watching him squirm. That was until he noticed Jiwon boring fiery holes into both of them with his eyes, and they quickly let go.

"So, where is this place?"

"Kinda close by. It's where I had my Sexual Awakening," Jiwon replied neutrally, and Chanwoo muttered a 'gross.' "Only been there once, though. Not really familiar with it."

"Gay bars are quite something, I have to tell you."

"You've been to one?" Chanwoo asked in surprise and Jinhwan turned around to look at him, smiling sweetly.

"At least twenty, but one works."

"And you like _me_?!" Chanwoo yelped in utter disbelief, which Jinhwan was about to very defensively reply to until he saw how it finally got a little smile out of Jiwon, which distracted him. He elbowed Jiwon lightly.

"You good?"

"Soon," was all Jiwon said, which was enough.

The bar was the strangest thing because it was simply a bar, with booths and menus and paintings on walls and a snooker table in the corner. But there were a _lot_ of guys. And they were all cute. Jinhwan watched in amusement when Jiwon's eyes grew wide, and he took a step back. "I don't belong here. Too many gorgeous people. Gonna short-circuit. Gonna run. Don't wait up-"

"Come on, idiot, let's get a table," Jinhwan laughed, taking his and Chanwoo's arms and dragging them over. He felt Chanwoo stick closer to him than he usually ever would, and he wondered why.

It was a hazy sort of scene. Even getting a table wasn't enough to clear your head a bit more, and there were different sweet smells that mixed together to make some sort of super-scent. Like it had the sole purpose to intoxicate. Jiwon was clearly submitting to it, and Jinhwan and Chanwoo both stared at him when he accidentally sighed out loud.

Jinhwan almost screamed when someone ended up approaching them, just to tap Jiwon on the shoulder. Someone cool, someone tall, someone _hot_. Jinhwan was content with simply slapping Chanwoo repeatedly while Jiwon turned around and blinked a million upon million times.

"Hey. You dropped this," the guy said, his voice low and calm. And he was holding out an ID card. So he now knew how young Jiwon was. Jiwon seemed to realise that fast as he quickly snatched the card away and shoved it into his pocket.

"Th-thanks."

"High-schoolers, have fun," the guy said just as blankly and Jinhwan and Chanwoo both felt a little jolt of embarrassment. But apparently Jiwon didn't, from the way he said a far too loud, "Wait!"

And the guy did wait, looking at Jiwon semi-expectantly.

"Can I buy you a drink?" Jiwon asked, carefully, and the guy just looked at him for a while. Jinhwan could slowly see Jiwon's brain shut down, until—

"Okay."

Then the guy was the one taking Jiwon by the waist and whisking him away, causing Jiwon to flush such a bright red and turn his head to silently scream at Jinhwan who silently screamed back, still slapping Chanwoo.

"This is weird," Chanwoo mumbled, resting his face in Jinhwan's neck. "Jiwon-hyung is Yunhyeong-hyung's..."

"Hey, maybe the two need a break," Jinhwan said, thinking. "They've been together a long time. Maybe things are shakier behind closed doors."

"Maybe."

"Can I buy _you_ a drink?" Jinhwan asked teasingly, turning around and patting Chanwoo's cheek. The boy smiled at him, nodding.

"Something fruity!"

"You got it."

Even more people seemed to be there than when they had first got in. Jinhwan had to weave through them, making some eye contact and they were all different, some would stare him down like they were about to eat him, some had friendly eyes, some would even wink. As a proclaimed proud flirt, it was almost difficult not to take the bait.

"One beer and one orange cordial," Jinhwan asked and even the bartender was cute as he smiled at him, nodding. Jinhwan now felt awful for not saying please, but all he could do was stand there. That was, until someone was suddenly taking hold of his hands, gently, and pulling his arms up from his sides before spinning him around. And right there was yet another cute man looking him up and down, a curt sort of smile on his face. And Jinhwan was now properly dizzy, and so confused.

"W-wha-"

"Sorry, lovely, just wanted to know if I'd seen you before," the guy chirped sweetly before spinning Jinhwan back around to face the bar and letting go of his hands. Jinhwan let out a surprised noise, eyes wide as he clutched onto the edge of the counter. He blinked when he felt the man gently run the back of his hand down his side, barely overstepping a boundary. "You do seem out of your element, or is that just me?"

"Well, I've never been to... _this_ bar..."

"How old are you, lovely?"

Jinhwan clenched his hands a little. "N-Nineteen."

"Ah," the guy hummed, clearly smiling. "So cute."

This was a bad time for the intoxication of the place to finally hit him. He could feel himself falling somewhere, just about registering drinks being pushed towards him while this guy rested an arm around his waist, breath hitting his ear. It was very strange. Jinhwan kind of forgot what it meant. The potential for romance. Sex. Any of it, he just forgot.

"You looked sad, over with your friends," the man said softly. "Everything okay?"

"You - you were watching me?"

"Ahh, don't put it like that. Just noticed."

"I was just a bit worried about my friend. Going through a rough patch with his boyfriend-" _Boyfriend. Wait. I have one of those._

"I see. So he came to forget it all?"

"Mhm..."

"Think about yourself too," the guy murmured, kissing Jinhwan's neck, lightly. Politely. And in another world, in another time, Jinhwan would be his in an instant but not now. It was time to get this intoxication out of his system and fast.

"Hey, hey wait," Jinhwan said quickly, turning around by himself this time and he tried looking straight into the guy's surprised eyes. "I've - I've got a boyfriend, I can't-"

"Oh, that's wonderful!" the guy said excitedly, which Jinhwan definitely hadn't expected. "Or, that's too bad. Depends how we look at it! So you're here for support only?"

"Yeah..."

"That's very nice of you, nineteen. Good men make for good relationships," he said brightly, wiggling his eyebrows and it did make Jinhwan laugh - yet he caught sight of something that made the sound freeze in his throat.

"Chanwoo..."

"Hm?"

The man was about to turn around but Chanwoo beat him to it, wrapping a hand around Jinhwan's wrist and pulling at him. Jinhwan looked at him, but it was hard to think of what to say when his baby was looking so _fierce_. Hair ruffled, eyes staring down at Jinhwan like he wanted to punch something. "Hyung. Come."

"Ooh, is this the boyfie?" the other guy gasped when Chanwoo started tugging Jinhwan away, yet the guy held onto Jinhwan's other hand. Jinhwan looked back at him, shyly nodding, and the guy grinned before kissing Jinhwan's hand like a parting gift. "Hope I was able to get you a little treat, then."

Jinhwan had no idea what he meant, but he was only left with a wink before his hand was let go, and he was just being dragged through the intoxicating bar into another room? A room that he couldn't even focus on because before he knew it, Chanwoo was setting them down on something like a sofa and tugging Jinhwan right into his lap so their chests crashed together.

"Chanwoo?" Jinhwan asked confusedly, blinking a little when Chanwoo didn't quite meet his eyes, instead picking a loose hanging thread of Jinhwan's hair that was framing his face, tucking it behind his ear. Jinhwan was turning a little breathless but he was still so confused, and his wrist kind of hurt from being tugged that hard. He wanted Chanwoo to just _explain_ but before he knew it, Chanwoo was taking hold of Jinhwan's chin and pulling his face closer, only waiting one second that was filled with so many questions. One stood out.

 _Is this because of_ _me and the guy?_

But even his thoughts were muffled by the sheer force of Chanwoo kissing him. And once again, Jinhwan was forgetting things. He knew Chanwoo's lips, he knew Chanwoo's hand gripping his hip, he knew his own arms winding around Chanwoo's shoulders, pressing him closer. And that was all.

"Ha-ah..."

Chanwoo leaned back for a moment, watching Jinhwan's flushed face in awe. "Woah..."

"W-What-" Jinhwan melted once more when Chanwoo swept forward and took his lips again, and Jinhwan couldn't breathe once more which was ironic because they were kissing _like_ they were breathing. Chanwoo smelt like home. Like soft mint and green tea soap, and nothing like this club's intoxication. Nothing like the bold amazing kisses he was giving, making Jinhwan feel high and heady. This wasn't Chanwoo.

"S-Stop..." Jinhwan tried to say, but his voice was a whisper as Chanwoo trailed kisses down his face from his mouth, before pressing his lips softly to Jinhwan's jaw. He winced, fisting Chanwoo's shirt. It was so difficult. Chanwoo was so methodical, so good at this...but he lost it when finally, Chanwoo was about to kiss his neck, but he hesitated. It was a split-second, but it was enough for Jinhwan to push him back and look him right in the eye. "W-Why are you doing this?"

Chanwoo's eyes were guarded. "I want to."

"No," Jinhwan breathed out, resting a hand on Chanwoo's cheek and slowly, he could see emotion coming back to Chanwoo again. "You don't."

"I don't?"

Jinhwan didn't say anything, just stroking his cheek and even though he had wanted emotion, it was too much when Chanwoo's eyes turned glassy. Jinhwan hushed him, about to say useless sweet nothings like nicknames and 'don't cry', but then Chanwoo was saying, "But I saw it."

"Saw what."

"That guy was attracted to you," Chanwoo whispered. "And you were attracted to him."

"Chanwoo, stop, I love-"

"You know what one of my biggest fears has always been? Since the moment I knew?" Chanwoo asked, and Jinhwan knew it was rhetorical but he still felt the need to shake his head. Well, what he _actually_ felt the need to do was just take Chanwoo home and swaddle him in a billion blankets.

"What?"

"That someone would cheat on me, with someone who'd want to do that stuff. And I couldn't even b-blame them 'cause I'm- I'm the one who couldn't give them what they needed," Chanwoo breathed out. He was full on tearing up now, and Jinhwan's heart was aching as both his hands caressed the younger's face, as soft as he could. Because he'd never stop feeling guilty now, for letting that man from before even _touch_ him.

"Baby," Jinhwan said, slowly, trying to pour his heart out because he needed Chanwoo to believe him. "They're the only one at blame. They're the only one who should know what they're getting into _and_ what they're losing cheating on someone as incredible as you."

Chanwoo shook his head. "I'm not-"

Jinhwan kissed him, just gently. The kisses they were used to, the kisses that spoke only love. "You are."

Chanwoo's face scrunched up then as tears finally spilled, and Jinhwan clambered off him so they could sit next to each other on the sofa thing and he let Chanwoo bury his face into Jinhwan's shoulder. He finally got a small look at the room. It was dark and small, but sound. Probably a private room for things like...yeah Jinhwan wasn't going to finish that.

"Sometimes," Chanwoo mumbled, and shit, if this wasn't over then Jinhwan's heart couldn't take it, "I think it sounds so selfish."

"What does?"

"Wanting to be in an exclusive relationship."

"I think some people can learn to live without sex," Jinhwan said dryly, and it was a win when Chanwoo giggled quietly.

"It's funny hearing you say that."

"Hey, what are you saying?!"

Chanwoo shuffled a little, turning his head so he could look up at Jinhwan who looked down at him, slowly smiling from how cute Chanwoo looked. "Sorry for kissing you."

Jinhwan was about to say something like 'you really don't need to be' but that might not be the best thing. "Can I tell you something and you need to _promise_ not to laugh?"

"Tell me."

"You're a really good kisser."

When Chanwoo's first reaction was snorting, even if he quickly covered his mouth, Jinhwan had never felt more betrayed. "HEY-"

"But it's just so - _ironic_ ," Chanwoo snickered into his shoulder, making Jinhwan nod a little. "I can't believe it. You're serious?"

"You kiss like you're solving a maths problem," Jinhwan blurted out and he understood when that made Chanwoo laugh harder. "Shut _up_ , it's 'cause you don't get caught up in the feelings side of it, like-"

"But that's the only thing I liked about the kissing," Chanwoo interrupted, making Jinhwan stare at him in utter bewilderment.

"Wha-huh?"

"You getting caught up in the feelings of it," Chanwoo said, looking down at their hands and rubbing Jinhwan's one gently. "The noises you made were really cute. And I liked your expressions. And, I liked how close you kept getting to me."

"Oh yeah?" Jinhwan asked with a teasing smile, knocking his head against Chanwoo's. "That's quite nice actually. It's like you _do_ think I'm hot but just without the essence of the word!"

Chanwoo rolled his eyes, amused. "Sure. Think of it that way."

"Chan."

"I love you."

Jinhwan blinked, shocked into silence for a moment, and he didn't mean for his voice to sound whiny when he said, " _I_ was gonna say that."

"I could tell," Chanwoo said haughtily, and Jinhwan was hit once more by how annoyingly clever this guy was. "So I wanted to say it first."

"Well I'm sorry but is this relationship a _competition_ to you-"

Chanwoo tugged on Jinhwan's collar and locked their lips, making Jinhwan's heart sigh and a minute later when they were done, Jinhwan dizzily wagged a finger at him. "You...you are _really_ good at that..."

Chanwoo looked at him, interest and awe lighting up his irises as he brushed a thumb over Jinhwan's cheek. Jinhwan composed himself a little, and looked back.

"Why didn't you ever think about being an artist?"

Chanwoo's eyebrows creased. "Where'd that come from?"

"You really do think of people - or at least me - as art. And you're so good at analysing it. Or at least, you love it."

"I'm no artist. You're just beautiful, and you're mine. Admiring you and all the things you do is the best part of this," Chanwoo said softly, and Jinhwan felt another ache in his chest. Not heartache. A soft ache, the kind you get from eating one too many sweets.

"Fuck."

"Hm?"

"I'm so in love with you."

Chanwoo grinned, elbowing him. "Me too. Let's go back to the car, we can text Jiwon-hyung."

"Sounds like a Plan."

And they followed it without a fault, leaving the private room with a few wolf-whistles from random cute boys who thought they'd banged which was a little flattering to be fair, then arm-in-arm walking across the car park. It was only when they got to the car that the Plan wavered a little because who did they find in the back?

Yunhyeong and Jiwon sitting next to each other, apparently making it a point not to look at the other even though they were sharing a pair of earphones.

"Shh," Jinhwan hissed at Chanwoo who nodded, carefully going around the front of the car to the passenger's seat. Jinhwan looked at the two in the car for a moment, wondering what the _hell_ was going on, before he opened the door so loudly that Yunhyeong screamed and Jiwon jolted to infinity.

"What on earth are you two doing here?" Chanwoo asked wryly as him and Jinhwan took their seats, immediately turning around to look at them. Yunhyeong and Jiwon just kind of stared at them for a moment, before sharing a look that was deadpan on Jiwon's part and shy on Yunhyeong's. And just like that, Jinhwan could see it. They were still in love, or in like, or just whatever they were before.

"It's a long story, actually," Yunhyeong said finally, until Jiwon cut in, "Yunhyeong stalks me."

"I DO NOT STALK YOU!"

"God, you _so_ do."

"Says the guy who just posts a picture of another guy with the damn location thingy on. What did you expect?"

"Was just tryna make you jealous..."

"Well, of course it fucking worked."

"Wow, we suddenly no longer need to ask!" Jinhwan gasped in a 'whaaaat' voice and Chanwoo snickered. "Seriously, stop being toxic exes and tell me what happened in the bar."

"Me and the hot guy-"

"'The hot guy'," Yunhyeong mimicked quietly.

"-were just talking, and he was asking me questions and stuff and he didn't get that angry about me taking a photo of him and he was actually nice, despite being this block of stone. Then, I actually almost got a kiss-"

"Don't act like that's a good thing in front of me!"

"Yunhyeong, I get it, you're riled up but _please_ shut up for a second," Jinhwan begged with imploring puppy dog eyes, and Yunhyeong grumbled to himself as he turned away. Jiwon still couldn't look at him.

"Yeah, we almost kiss and then Yunhyeong like slams the door open and storms inside and pushes this guy away. Would've been hotter if he punched him," Jiwon sniffed and Yunhyeong was back to glaring holes. "Then Yunhyeong like _full-on_ kisses me. Like maaaaan it was weird. All teeth. Not nice."

"I'm not experienced in this possessive stuff," Yunhyeong mumbled.

"Then he drags me out and here we are. We were gonna text you, we had no idea where you were."

"Yeah, don't ask," Chanwoo said quickly, and Jinhwan took his hand.

"Why do you still look mad at each other?"

"Because he's a prick who stalks me."

"Because he's an idiot who'll fuck off with another guy in less than an hour."

"Because I thought that was what you _wanted_ ," Jiwon said, his voice cracking as he looked at Yunhyeong, finally. "I thought you wanted me to leave you alone. I'm the idiot who just goes along with everything. I let you do anything even though we've never once talked about the word boyfriend. What, you're afraid? You're worried? You don't wanna be dating the weird kid who'll do anything to make you happy?"

Yunhyeong was silent before he said, "Literally all I said was that I'll make my own cup of tea so you didn't need to."

"IT WAS YOUR TONE!" Jiwon exploded, and Jinhwan face-palmed.

"How about you start telling me things? Why haven't you told me this all earlier? Is it just _my_ fault we haven't talked about dating? Be a man and bring it up yourself!"

"Why couldn't you?"

"Why couldn't _you_?!"

"Then be my stupid boyfriend!"

"Fuck you. And sure."

Then Jiwon and Yunhyeong were both huffing and looking out of the window, leaving Jinhwan and Chanwoo to slowly turn to look at each other with the most weirded out faces ever.

"Guys, are you...you sure you're good?"

"If he deletes that selfie of the random guy."

"Then do one with me announcing our marriage."

"We didn't get married, you- and you wonder why I think you should back off."

There must have been a whole lot of emotions besides anger going on behind closed doors because all of a sudden, Jiwon was tearing up. Yunhyeong flicked his eyes around to look at him because there was no reply and when he saw that, angry passive-aggressive Yunhyeong was gone.

"Baby boy," Yunhyeong murmured heartbrokenly, scooting closer while Jiwon turned away, trying to hide his face. "Don't cry. Please, or I'll cry too. It was just a stupid joke. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Jiwon finally showed his face even just to weakly slap Yunhyeong's and the elder smiled, leaning in close in a way that Jinhwan and Chanwoo could no longer see _either_ of their faces. "Yeah, I deserved that."

"Let's go," Jinhwan whispered to Chanwoo when he saw the two cuddle up and Chanwoo nodded in agreement, squeezing his hand. Jinhwan put his keys into ignition and didn't dare let go of Chanwoo's hand the whole drive back.

**v**

Jinhwan was back at the gay bar again, but not to give support to someone. Not to find someone for himself. He just wanted to see if that one guy from earlier might, just _might_ be there. After all, he had wondered if he had seen Jinhwan before. That had to mean that he came here quite a lot, right?

He walked in without any caution, and maybe his nonchalance was what got him more head-turns than he remembered. And that he was alone.

It was quieter today, probably because of the time, but that also meant that Jinhwan didn't have to look so far to see a tall guy leaning against the bar counter while shooting finger guns at the unimpressed bartender.

"I would be the best rapper."

"You can't even speak right."

"Excuse _me_! Well, you're right. But rapping is different, I would be an eccentric genius overlord _and_ I have some lyrics! Wanna hear?"

"Stick to what you're good at, Hanbin."

"Well, I'm good at _many_ things so joke's on you!" the guy yelled after the barkeep, shaking a fist, and that was when Jinhwan reached him. He was blinked down at, scrutinised, stared at, before the guy finally broke into a grin. "Nineteen!"

"Hey," Jinhwan said, his voice bright because the sunniness was just so contagious. "Can we go talk?"

"Hm? Outside? _Talk_?"

"Yes, outside, and talk," Jinhwan said amusedly, taking hold of his wrist before walking off, and the guy followed like a bouncing puppy at his heels. Jinhwan wondered about the different sides of this guy, where he was polite and excitable and smooth. It was just his personality that had really stood out, so Jinhwan set him down into a seat at one of the outside tables, and the guy grinned up at him. "I've always wanted to sit here with someone. I've helped clean up here before when I'm bored, but they look very decor."

"You know decor isn't an adjective?"

The guy's shocked expression had Jinhwan want to roll over laughing.

"Well, well, well," the guy said coolly while he sat there with one leg crossed over the other, his sunglasses on his head and a mimosa in his hand that Jinhwan had kindly bought him. Ten minutes had passed, just of Jinhwan sharing his motive. Finally. "I'm actually really quite flattered because no-one really asks me to be their buddy. Well, fuck buddy, sure. But- wait. That's not what you mean, right...?"

"No!"

"Right, yes! I mean, no! Ah...either of them!"

"Hey, what's your name?"

"Kim Hanbin," he said elegantly, bowing his head. "Very pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Me too. I'm-"

"Since we're now pals, spill the beans," Hanbin suddenly said, leaning forward with a slightly unsettling grin and Jinhwan stared. "Did you get some nice jealousy sex after your boyfie dragged you away?"

Jinhwan almost choked. "Wha- no! My boyfi- what, _boyfriend_ , my boyfriend, he's ace, we don't-" 

"Ace?"

Oh. Jinhwan hadn't quite meant to say that.

"Stands for asexual," Jinhwan muttered in his smallest voice, and Hanbin perked up a little in interest.

"Ooh, how fancy. I mean, no not fancy uhhh well maybe- ok just ignore all that, how _interesting_. Yes! What a better word."

"You ramble," Jinhwan hummed, smiling as he squished the side of his face against his fist. "I didn't take that as a quality for a sexy gay bar regular."

Hanbin looked delighted. "You think I'm _sexy_? You're a star in the compliments section, nineteen."

"Why are you calling me that?"

"You're just so little," Hanbin said with a doting grin, leaning forward to poke Jinhwan's cheek. "Yet so much better than I was at your age. Is it hard having a boyfie who's ace?"

"I don't quite know," Jinhwan admitted with a curl in his stomach. "I've liked him so much for so long that I don't look for the things I don't get from him. He's perfect. He gives so much and I always wonder if it's because he feels bad. He says it's 'cause he loves me but I know he does feel bad."

"It's always a complex," Hanbin said thoughtfully, tapping his chin. "I remember my friend just talking about it flippantly once. She said something like ace people should only date ace people or it's just stupid. That was back when it was a relatively new thing to be hearing about but, I don't know. Kinda stuck in my head, and now here's you. I mean, I can _tell_ you're not ace. Sorry if that sounds bad."

"It's fine."

"People are different, hm? Even if someone actively is or isn't something, there are so many parts of someone that can mix together to form so many outcomes. Like you're not ace but you love him. You're thinking it cancels out."

"If I could let it be that simple...yeah. It was scary, though, what you did...I don't know if it was attraction or what but man, I almost let you kiss me. I hated myself."

"Sorry," Hanbin whisper-hissed behind his hand. "I have a magic effect like that. But don't feel bad, okay, that's my fault, should've known. You just don't usually get anything but singles at this place so I assumed but never again!"

"He said something to me after though. It kind of shook me up," Jinhwan mumbled, looking down at his lone hand. He wished he could be holding Chanwoo's. "That he could see that you were attracted to me and I was attracted to you. You should have seen his eyes. God, it really hurt him."

"Has this young man ever dated before?" Hanbin asked and Jinhwan slowly nodded. Hanbin made a decisive nod too. "I'm starting to see signs that perhaps he's been hurt before. Then again, maybe not even by a relationship. Maybe things he's seen online. Or people telling it to him straight. This world is a harsh one."

"I'm pretty sure you're right," Jinhwan said quietly, clenching his hand into a fist. "I see him hating himself in a way that he believes it so wholly that it's like someone _must_ have told him some of these things. When someone else's opinion is involved, doesn't something feel more concrete?"

"Exactly."

"But...I don't know. I don't even care about that. I just want him to stop thinking he's unlovable," Jinhwan murmured, voice reducing a little too much. "Because he's not. Me, _I'm_ living proof of that!"

"Give him time, lovely."

"It hurts me when he hurts."

"Hey," Hanbin said softly, tapping the underside of Jinhwan's chin. "That's love. Your job right now is to do your best to help him through all of it, and your love is gonna come out of this looking like woooooow."

"I thought we were having such a serious conversation," Jinhwan laughed, and Hanbin just shrugged.

"Yeah the mood was too low for too long, couldn't do it. But woooooow stands for _epic_. Not the gross millennial type epic, the epic like epic stories, _hero_ stories, the epics of Homer's Odyssey and that malarkey. And you're proving my old friend wrong. Do you think it's possible for an ace and non-ace to date?"

"It's definitely possible," Jinhwan said immediately, almost defensively, and Hanbin smiled at him.

"How absolutely wonderful. And see, other people might not know your story and all that but it's still an amazing thing, isn't it? Relationships can be beautiful despite any obstacle, it always depends on the humans themselves. I've always believed that."

"Yet you're a gay bar regular."

"I've had my fair share of failures, that's why," Hanbin said cheerfully, raising his mimosa in the air before thinking. "Mm, I'm pretty sure one of my exes was planning to kill me. Wowie, not the best. Unfortunately not enough evidence to convict the guy though, but he _didn't_ kill me so maybe I'm wrong! Hm, but he did have a machete. Ooh, this one girl tried to get me to kiss this other girl while we were dating in front of her, it was all very strange. One guy tried to use me as a damn bottle opener, the weirdo. Who wants a half-smashed bottle anyway, half the wine's gonna come out? And this other guy just vanished out of thin air once. Like _poof_. Well, it was overnight. But... _poof_."

"Hanbin," Jinhwan said cautiously, for fear of the man running off into more and more of these dangerously strange and quite sad stories. "Is that why you do this?"

Hanbin blinked at him, anticipating Jinhwan telling him something that was...about himself. "Do what?"

"You take care of people who you think look sad."

"Bingo," Hanbin said with a small smile, clicking a finger at Jinhwan. "That's exactly what I do. I've never thought about why but perhaps you're right. I'd like to think you're not. I'm a strong man undefined by my past! Well, not so much strong. Yet I can do many pull-ups. But I don't have sex. I mean - ah, weird order, going back to the _not_ pull-ups thing, I just...some kisses, maybe. A little making out. I just like making people feel a bit better, but I don't want them to think they're making a mistake either. I only really have sex with Junhoe, for some odd reason because he's not that good at it but he is lovely."

That was the weirdest mix of information Jinhwan had ever got in one go and it took a while for his head to stop spinning. "Ah...Junhoe? Who's that?"

"The loveliest boy! Well, not really, but in my dreams he is. Not that I dream about him. He's a regular too. We first met at the dentist's," Hanbin sighed dreamily like it was a fond memory, and Jinhwan was finding it hard to figure out _how_. "He's very emotionless and it's apparently his charm but when he's not, it's a wonderful thing. Maybe he's my best friend. Ooh, I've never thought about that before. Oh my gosh, Jinhwan, mayhaps I _do_ have buddies. Oh no wait, but we fuck. So still fuck buddies, aw."

"I really can't keep up with you but I think you're quite brilliant," Jinhwan said in processing amazement, and he jumped a little when Hanbin clasped his hand happily.

"The star complimenter once more!"

Jinhwan couldn't stop laughing, but Hanbin's eyes curved as he seemed to catch sight of someone leaving the bar. Jinhwan looked to the side, only to see the same guy that Jiwon had been getting along with last time. He was about to ask who it was until Hanbin dropped Jinhwan's hand and waved both of his in the air, cheering, "Junhoe! Let's go make out in a sewer somewhere!"

"Okay," Junhoe said flatly, and Hanbin beamed at Jinhwan.

"Isn't he wonderful?"

"Um..."

"Have a nice day, dear nineteen. Have lots and lots of luck with your epic love," Hanbin said sweetly as he got up, leaving but not before leaning down and kissing Jinhwan's forehead. It was so warm and friendly, and Jinhwan felt a bit giddy as he tried to wave when Hanbin rushed off and slammed Junhoe into an enthusiastic kiss.

So Jinhwan decided to finish Hanbin's mimosa himself and head on home.

"Oh, hello, my love," Jinhwan said softly when he saw Chanwoo on the sofa watching a cartoon. Chanwoo turned to give him a smile as Jinhwan settled in next to him, tugging on Chanwoo's shirt to pull him forward for a kiss.

"Where were you?"

"You know that guy at the gay bar? That hit on me a little?" Jinhwan asked, leaning against Chanwoo who instinctively wound an arm around Jinhwan's shoulders, but it was quite comical to see how how his face twisted.

"What? You were with _him_?"

"Mhm. And he said that my and your love is the same level of epic as Homer's Odyssey."

"Oh," Chanwoo said, quietly confused. "That's...oh."

"You don't agree?"

"No, I just - why did you go talk to him?"

"His personality is really quite something, and he's somehow mature too. He told me a lot of things. Hey, Chan."

"Mhm."

"Your ex," Jinhwan said carefully, checking Chanwoo's expression. It did gloom over a little. "Was he bad to you?"

"He just didn't realise what he was getting into, that's all," Chanwoo said, smiling at Jinhwan but it didn't reach his eyes. "I feel like I made him hate ace people in the end, because I became so horrible to him. But I was just scared."

"You told me once that you've never had someone crush on you."

"I haven't. _I_ liked him, _I_ asked him out. Then I was just the worst boyfriend ever."

"What did you do?"

"I made him feel bad for wanting to kiss me," Chanwoo muttered, looking down. "I made him feel cheap. It was the worst defence mechanism in the world but I just wanted to stop feeling like I was the odd one out. And I knew it wasn't ever going to work out but he wasn't a bad guy, and I felt like I was _breaking_ him. I couldn't bear it so I let him go."

"It's like, bullies bully when they've been bullied," Jinhwan sighed, carding a hand through Chanwoo's hair. "Who bullied you?"

"Stuff I saw on the Internet. You know, some people _really_ don't like us. Then my...parents," Chanwoo said lowly, and Jinhwan froze a little because no, they didn't and wouldn't talk about Chanwoo's parents. "But it doesn't excuse anything."

"Do you miss him?"

"We're still friends. I mean, when we bump into each other."

"That's brilliant."

"I wish I could've said sorry more times while we were dating," Chanwoo mumbled. "I wish I could've given him the biggest apology speech when I broke up with him, instead of a few words. I knew he knew I was sorry but that's not good enough, is it?"

"You did the best you could in the moment," Jinhwan replied, kissing Chanwoo's temple and staying that close. "Humans mess up, it's what we do. Though I really didn't expect that you were the one who hurt him."

"What, 'cause I'm _such_ a perfect angel?" Chanwoo laughed, but Jinhwan nodded.

"Exactly."

Chanwoo didn't reply but he did shift a little, resting his head on the back of the sofa and looking at Jinhwan with his inquisitive big eyes. "You know."

"I know?"

"Him and I only dated a month."

Jinhwan scrabbled about on the sofa. "A month? All of that in a _month_?!"

"Well, I was kind of dramatic but the _essence_ was the same."

"So let me get this straight, you guys were just a new bustling cute couple then you have like one fight 'cause he wants to kiss you then bam, you're over."

"What? Hey, it was a bit more dramatic than _that_..."

"Jesus...but you kiss me."

"Yeah but those are 'I love you' kisses, not 'we're in a relationship' kisses," Chanwoo clarified firmly and Jinhwan shook his head because what the hell was the difference?

"You really are a closet drama queen."

"I wanted to wait at least...five years or something before another relationship," Chanwoo mumbled, about to turn away but Jinhwan took his hand before he could. "I just thought I wasn't made for them. They weren't my thing. Then you came along and tipped my whole world over."

"I didn't mean to," Jinhwan murmured apologetically, and Chanwoo pressed closer to him.

"I know you didn't so that makes it more remarkable that you did. You're just so amazing. So resilient and this bright beacon of hope and all things good. You make me want to do this year over and over again because falling in love with you was an absolute delight."

"As with you," Jinhwan said in a soft tone, looking up at him, and Chanwoo's lips curved. "Now, I'm cold, so you're holding me."

"Of course, sir," Chanwoo whispered against his neck, arms snaking around Jinhwan in an instant. Jinhwan purred like a happy cat, giggling when Chanwoo played along and scratched his stomach. Jinhwan turned his head, just to peck Chanwoo's lips.

"You really think I'm ever gonna leave you when you obey my wishes like this?"

"I sure hope not. But I'll obey your wishes some more, just in case," Chanwoo teased, kissing Jinhwan's shoulder and the elder leant into him, resting his head on Chanwoo's chest.

"I'll tell you them later. It'll be the longest list you've ever seen."

"Done and done, my sweet hyung." 

" _God_ , I love you."

**+i**

It was quite funny that Hanbin began to weave a permanent pattern in his life, taking Jinhwan on fun 'friend dates' as he called them to probably a hundred different cafés, but not another bar because Hanbin had hissed at him, "That would be like _betrayal_."

Jinhwan even introduced him to the others, which was sure something.

"You're _twenty-three_?" Yunhyeong squeaked while Jiwon was staring at him like he had come out of the sky, and Hanbin patted both of their heads.

"Yes, lovely eighteens. Hm, say, you should come on a double friend date with us!"

"They're actually dating, Bin," Jinhwan pointed out and Hanbin gasped in shock, jerking back his hands.

"I _revoke_ that offer."

Even Jinhwan hadn't been expecting Hanbin to ask Chanwoo for a private chat when they first met. Maybe it was something to do with how Chanwoo clearly looked wary of him, because Hanbin was actually smart sometimes and picked up on these things, but it seemed like he had been waiting to do this for a while now.

Jinhwan had no idea what they were talking about, and he still didn't to this day. Maybe Hanbin was telling him about epic love. Or telling him about his friends' crude takes on aces. Or his own wonderful take.

Maybe it was the last one because when Hanbin was leaving with a fluttery wave, Chanwoo immediately turned to Jinhwan and said, "I love him."

Jinhwan grinned. "Everyone does."

In return, Hanbin introduced Jinhwan to Junhoe and someone called Donghyuk. Junhoe was actually ironically talkative if it was something he was interested in and Donghyuk was the sweetest thing since sugar, not letting Jinhwan pay for anything. It was weird as hell hanging out with these adults, people taller and more experienced than him but honestly, they were just big kids. They all bickered every time they spoke and they seemed to have a dating complex. The gentle couply sort of kisses, holding hands, soft looks and touches, the like, and Jinhwan wondered. Maybe it was a polygamous relationship. He knew they all went for other people too, and he'd never seen something like it before in real life so it intrigued him.

"Nineteen's boyfie says he knows you," Hanbin said to Donghyuk, making Jinhwan perk up and Donghyuk stare in confusion while Junhoe just sipped his drink.

"What's his name?"

"Seventeen-"

"His name's Chanwoo," Jinhwan said and Donghyuk didn't have a reaction for a while before he smiled and set his drink down.

"He's an amazing kid. You're lucky that he loves you."

"How do you know him?"

"From the same hometown, same school. He transferred in sophomore year to your school, didn't he?"

"That's right..."

"I was a senior when he was a freshman. He had a lot of confidence for asking a senior out, really," Donghyuk laughed brightly and Jinhwan was thrown into a coughing fit so Junhoe patted his back a little too hard.

"You're the ex-boyfriend," Jinhwan said in utter awe after he recovered, leaning forward over the table. "You're the one he hurt."

"Aw, he didn't hurt me! Probably a little bruise at most. I knew how scared he was," Donghyuk said with the same grin in place, taking up his drink again. "I always knew he was a good guy. Just young, that's all, and so was I. I didn't know about ace people, I didn't know what he wanted. Or didn't want. My fault." 

"You don't hate ace people?"

Donghyuk's smile slipped finally as he stared at Jinhwan. "What? Oh no _way_. They have all my love. Chanwoo made me properly see that it was a real thing and they deserve to have the resources and feelings they need."

Jinhwan didn't care what anyone said, this was fate. It was fate for him to meet Hanbin, it was fate for him to meet the ex and get all the closure he wanted. But...

"Do you want to talk to him?"

"It's okay. We ended on a good note," Donghyuk said, cheerful once more but Jinhwan shook his head.

"He still wishes he apologised more."

"He never needed to in the first place," Donghyuk assured, patting Jinhwan's hand. "He's a wonderful boy. You can...tell him I said that. Please put his mind at ease."

Jinhwan nodded, locking that in his mind, and he barely registered Junhoe taking hold of Donghyuk's hand, lacing their fingers. "You okay?"

"Just peachy," Donghyuk said only a little weakly, and Hanbin kissed his cheek.

"Hey, how about we go back to the bar? Do some karaoke? Nineteen can sing, right?" Hanbin suggested, grinning at Jinhwan who made a 'pfffft' noise, shaking his head.

"It's just a hobby."

"I'm in the West End now," Junhoe said randomly and everyone stared at him. Until Donghyuk started throttling him by the shoulders, and Junhoe shakily put his drink down.

"WHY. THE. FUCK. DIDN'T. YOU. TELL. US."

It was later than he had meant it to be when Jinhwan finally got home, only to find a pink small note on his slightly ajar door. He frowned, taking it off.

_'Head to the kitchen for a surprise!'_

It was Chanwoo's handwriting and that just made Jinhwan even more suspicious. He did as the note said, though, opening the door further and slipping inside, before making sure it was closed. He went to the kitchen, but he did feel like something was going to jump out at him at any second. Yet, there was nothing. All he found was a massive, gorgeous cupcake atop a mound of loose sweets. And another note in front of it.

_'Eat all of this and you'll be sick, but it just represents how sweet I am on you.'_

Jinhwan snorted, setting the note down and swishing a finger through the cupcake's icing, getting some off and licking it. It was a beautiful taste, nothing like the cheap icing from kid birthday parties and school cake rotas. He was about to take a sweet until he saw another note peeking out, and he picked it out of the mound.

_'Take a sweet and turn around.'_

And so he did, only to almost scream because there was a piece of card that was almost being shoved in his face. He blinked, trying to level out his vision only to see a spare space of a circle of glue, while loops of sweets seemed to stem off below.

"Stick it on," a low voice said, and Jinhwan slowly reached out and stuck the sweet onto the small circle. That was the key for the card to be pulled back, so Jinhwan could see it in all its glory. So many different types of sweets, all stuck on so perfectly to form a neat:

_Will you go to prom with me?_

And suddenly, Jinhwan was crying.

"Hyung?" Chanwoo asked in utter alarm, dropping the card and rushing over to Jinhwan to wrap him up into a squishy embrace. Jinhwan shook his head, hugging Chanwoo's waist tight. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Was this a bad time?"

"I-It's just...all the things we've gone through," Jinhwan sobbed, banging on Chanwoo lightly with clenched fists. "All the worry and love and then you do this and then I just remember that we're in _high school_ and I've completely forgot about fucking _prom_ like - that's supposed to be a high school senior's _dream_ and then you just...you've just blinded me. God, you're so..."

"That's all, right? Nothing more?"

"I guess..."

"Ugh, hyung," Chanwoo sighed poignantly, but amused all the same as he rested his head on top of Jinhwan's.  
"I did think you forgot, I mean, you haven't said a word about it in months. I just wanted to remind you and be cute too. I didn't think you'd get like this, but I should've known. You're a burdened nineteen year old with a twenty-three year old best friend thing and you fell in love. In high school."

"What's with the sweets?" Jinhwan mumbled into Chanwoo's shirt, and the younger nuzzled into his head.

"Like I wrote, they show how sweet I am on you. Oh, and we can eat the ones on the card! Used edible glue 'cause I'm a _genius_."

Jinhwan pulled his head back and reached up to cup Chanwoo's face, looking at him in the softest way he would probably ever look at anyone. Only Chanwoo got those looks. Only him. "You really are seventeen. You deserved to be young and cute, you didn't need all of this extra stress."

"What extra stress, hyung?" Chanwoo asked, seeming genuinely confused. "I love my life. I know what you're talking about but, I'm fine with it. It makes me feel pretty good about myself that I was able to get over it all."

"Okay," Jinhwan said, just able to look at Chanwoo sweetly now. He was all worded out. "Love you."

"Love you more."

They spent the rest of the waking night on the floor, talking about random things and leaning against each other as they ate promposal sweets. Jinhwan even got Chanwoo to indulge him a little by exchanging one through a kiss, leaving Jinhwan grinning at him sleazily after. Chanwoo rolled his eyes. "Eat your damn sweet."

"You did that like a maths problem too-"

"I said _eat_ -"

"When did you first know?" Jinhwan asked twenty minutes later when Chanwoo's head was in his lap, with the rest of him stretched out across the floor. Seriously, this kid was a baby until you realise his legs go on for _miles_. Jinhwan stroked his hair when Chanwoo opened his eyes groggily.

"It's not really...the same as like, realising you're attracted to men or women. It just sort of felt like I wasn't growing up. My friends got into gushing over girls and I didn't know what the point was. Well, I first thought I might be gay but then it felt the same towards guys...but I knew that it wasn't like I couldn't tell when someone looked _nice_. I started looking at people closer, then, just to try and figure it out. Tried to figure out how someone looked 'hot'. Though it got a little bit embarrassing to get caught so many times."

"Did you ever stare at me?" Jinhwan asked because he couldn't really help it, and Chanwoo looked up at him.

"Hyung, I'd known for three years by the time we met."

"I know, I know..."

"But yeah," Chanwoo said, grinning. "I wouldn't just tell someone they're beautiful if I hadn't stared at them a little."

Jinhwan smiled, running the pads of his fingers down the bridge of Chanwoo's nose. "So, how'd the story end?"

"I've said all of it, pretty much. I heard the term being said by a kid in the older grade and I was like...hey. I think that's me."

"My ace of hearts," Jinhwan hummed, leaning down and Chanwoo snorted, murmuring, "Cheese," before he let Jinhwan kiss him. Both their lips were dashed with the cheap candy taste but Jinhwan would be lying if that kind of thing wasn't delicious.

"I love how you get after we kiss," Chanwoo said, eyes lidded as he slipped another sweet into his mouth. "You get this soft blush and your eyes get softer too."

"Well, guess I gotta keep that up if that's the only reason you let me-"

"You never said yes."

"What?"

"To prom."

"Wow. You really think I'm gonna say no?"

"You might not wanna go anymore, like...I know you hated the Queen of Hearts Dance so-"

"No, this is different, it'll celebrate my last moments of childhood and the love of my life. Who doesn't want that?"

"Visit me when you're in uni," Chanwoo said quietly, sitting up to brush his nose against Jinhwan's and the elder smiled, kissing his cheek again and again.

"You aren't living with me when you turn eighteen?"

Chanwoo's eyes definitely had stars in them. "Is that a real invitation?"

Jinhwan raised an eyebrow. "You basically already live here and if you're about to turn me down then I swear to God-"

"Ask me it later," Chanwoo said, quietly excited as he rested his arms around Jinhwan's neck. His eyes were still gleaming. "Ask me when it's time."

Jinhwan frowned, a little confused but he let his hands settle on Chanwoo's hips, trying to read the boy's face. "Alright..."

"I think I've had too many sweets," Chanwoo breathed out. His eyes were really wide. "I'm short-wiring a little. Ooh. Your hands are ticklish! No, no, _I'm_ ticklish!"

Jinhwan laughed in amusement and relief, tugging his boyfriend he adored close, and burying his face into his neck. Just breathing him in.

"My baby."

**Author's Note:**

> HELLOOOOO 
> 
> sorry for any typos y'all woah it's so early in the morn. at least i corrected the one that said Hannin
> 
> so it's the twenty-third of july, very monumental day but we won't talk about that 
> 
> anyway how are you guys how you been i hope you're doing good and drinking lotsa water, taking care of your awesome selves 
> 
> i've wanted to get an ace story out of ages and idk why the inspiration came now but you know, that's what happens. this story included a lot of screaming and sad looks from my sister tbh cause a few conversations in here are reminiscent of real ones i've had, and i couldn't stop myself from telling her and everytime i write sad stuff she's like you're a MONSTER. quite flattering really. but this isn't sad. this definitely isn't a sad story 
> 
> have a beautiful day!!


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